The last FIDE world championship cycle in the traditional format of candidates matches followed by a 24 game match between challenger and champion took place London in 1993. The Russian World Champion, Garry Kasparov and his English challenger, Nigel Short broke away from FIDE, the World Chess Federation to organise the match. This heralded two decades of disputed titles and continuous changes in format, that recently has seen the current top ranked player in the world, Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, decline to compete for the title.
Kasparov, who retired from professional play six years ago, returned to the board last month to play an eight-game blitz exhibition match against his old foe, Short, in the Belgian town of Leuven. Starting with three draws, Kasparov looked to have the match sewn up by winning the next two games. However, Short utilised rarely-played openings at grandmaster level (the King's Gambit and the St George: 1...a6?!) to even the score going into the final game. Today's game is the final game of the match, in which Kasparov showed he has not lost his tactical brilliance to win with the black pieces and take the match 4½-3½.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6!?
Short employs another 19th century opening and Kasparov fearlessly responds with the Two Knights Defence, an opening against which Short has a excellent record. 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3!? ---
Controlling e4 so as to avoid 8 Be2 h6 9 Nf3 e4, though the move has the obvious drawback of blocking d2. 8.--- Nd5 9.Nf3 Bd6 10.0-0 Nf4!
White has spent time winning a pawn, making this apparent loss of time by Black possible. The coming exchange on d3 ruins White's pawn structure as neither 11 Ne1 nor 11 Be2 e4 are desirable alternatives. 11.Re1 Nxd3 12.cxd3 0-0 13.Nc3 ---
Taking another pawn 13 Nxe5?! is inviting disaster as Black mobilises with 13...Re8. 13.--- Re8 14.h3 c5!
Fixing the weakness on d3 and planning to rehabilitate the knight via c6. White's response effectively abandons d3 to attend to his undeveloped queenside. 15.b3 Ba6 16.Ba3 Bxd3 17.Ne4 Bxe4 18.Rxe4 f5 19.Ra4 e4 20.Nh2 ---
White's pieces are becoming unco-ordinated. Possibly best was 20 Nd4!? cxd4 21 Bxd6 Qxd6 22 Rxa5 when the lack of minor pieces reduces the cramping power of Black's central pawn phalanx. Black now maneouvres the knight to the dominating post on d3. 20.--- Nc6! 21.Rc1 Ne5 22.d4! ---
Offering the exchange to prevent the pawn being blockaded. 22 Bxc5 Nd3! is worse. 22...Nd3 23.dxc5 Bf4!
Accepting the offer by 23...Bxh2+ 24 Kxh2 Qc7+ 25 Kg1 Nxc1 26 Qxc1 would allow White to put up greater resistance with his passed c-pawn, so Black plays to infiltrate with his superior minor pieces. 24.Rc2 e3 25.f3 Bg3 26.Nf1 Bf2+ 27.Kh1 Nf4!!
A sacrifice to break though on the back rank reminiscent of Kasparov's best, especially considering the blitz time control. 28.Qxd8 Raxd8 29.Rxf4 Rd1 30.Re2! Bg3!
White blockades the dangerous e-pawn, but Black picks up the rook thanks to the mate threat. The point is that the White king and knight are still trapped 31.Kg1 Bxf4 32.g4?! ---
The white king and knight are precariously placed on the back rank, and 32 g3! giving up a pawn to gain a tempo was necessary. 32.--- Red8 33.Bb4 R8d4?!
Most efficient was 33...Rb1! 34.Re1 Rxe1 35.Bxe1 Rd1 winning. Clearly the time control was influencing both players at this point, as White misses the best defence 34 Be1 unpinning the knight, so the game carries on to its logical conclusion. 34.Ba5?! Rd5 35.Bb4 a5 36.Bxa5 Rxc5 37.Bb6 Rcc1 38.Bxe3 Rxf1+ 39.Kg2 Bxe3 40.Rxe3 Rfe1 41.Rd3 f4
Kasparov defeats old foe
Problem: Black to play and mate in 3.
The last FIDE world championship cycle in the traditional format of candidates matches followed by a 24 game match between challenger and champion took place London in 1993. The Russian World Champion, Garry Kasparov and his English challenger, Nigel Short broke away from FIDE, the World Chess Federation to organise the match. This heralded two decades of disputed titles and continuous changes in format, that recently has seen the current top ranked player in the world, Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, decline to compete for the title.
Kasparov, who retired from professional play six years ago, returned to the board last month to play an eight-game blitz exhibition match against his old foe, Short, in the Belgian town of Leuven. Starting with three draws, Kasparov looked to have the match sewn up by winning the next two games. However, Short utilised rarely-played openings at grandmaster level (the King's Gambit and the St George: 1...a6?!) to even the score going into the final game.
Today's game is the final game of the match, in which Kasparov showed he has not lost his tactical brilliance to win with the black pieces and take the match 4½-3½.
1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 Nc6
3.Bc4 Nf6!?
Short employs another 19th century opening and Kasparov fearlessly responds with the Two Knights Defence, an opening against which Short has a excellent record.
4.Ng5 d5
5.exd5 Na5
6.Bb5+ c6
7.dxc6 bxc6
8.Bd3!? ---
Controlling e4 so as to avoid 8 Be2 h6 9 Nf3 e4, though the move has the obvious drawback of blocking d2.
8.--- Nd5
9.Nf3 Bd6
10.0-0 Nf4!
White has spent time winning a pawn, making this apparent loss of time by Black possible. The coming exchange on d3 ruins White's pawn structure as neither 11 Ne1 nor 11 Be2 e4 are desirable alternatives.
11.Re1 Nxd3
12.cxd3 0-0
13.Nc3 ---
Taking another pawn 13 Nxe5?! is inviting disaster as Black mobilises with 13...Re8.
13.--- Re8
14.h3 c5!
Fixing the weakness on d3 and planning to rehabilitate the knight via c6. White's response effectively abandons d3 to attend to his undeveloped queenside.
15.b3 Ba6
16.Ba3 Bxd3
17.Ne4 Bxe4
18.Rxe4 f5
19.Ra4 e4
20.Nh2 ---
White's pieces are becoming unco-ordinated. Possibly best was 20 Nd4!? cxd4 21 Bxd6 Qxd6 22 Rxa5 when the lack of minor pieces reduces the cramping power of Black's central pawn phalanx. Black now maneouvres the knight to the dominating post on d3.
20.--- Nc6!
21.Rc1 Ne5
22.d4! ---
Offering the exchange to prevent the pawn being blockaded. 22 Bxc5 Nd3! is worse.
22...Nd3
23.dxc5 Bf4!
Accepting the offer by 23...Bxh2+ 24 Kxh2 Qc7+ 25 Kg1 Nxc1 26 Qxc1 would allow White to put up greater resistance with his passed c-pawn, so Black plays to infiltrate with his superior minor pieces.
24.Rc2 e3
25.f3 Bg3
26.Nf1 Bf2+
27.Kh1 Nf4!!
A sacrifice to break though on the back rank reminiscent of Kasparov's best, especially considering the blitz time control.
28.Qxd8 Raxd8
29.Rxf4 Rd1
30.Re2! Bg3!
White blockades the dangerous e-pawn, but Black picks up the rook thanks to the mate threat. The point is that the White king and knight are still trapped
31.Kg1 Bxf4
32.g4?! ---
The white king and knight are precariously placed on the back rank, and 32 g3! giving up a pawn to gain a tempo was necessary.
32.--- Red8
33.Bb4 R8d4?!
Most efficient was 33...Rb1! 34.Re1 Rxe1 35.Bxe1 Rd1 winning. Clearly the time control was influencing both players at this point, as White misses the best defence 34 Be1 unpinning the knight, so the game carries on to its logical conclusion.
34.Ba5?! Rd5
35.Bb4 a5
36.Bxa5 Rxc5
37.Bb6 Rcc1
38.Bxe3 Rxf1+
39.Kg2 Bxe3
40.Rxe3 Rfe1
41.Rd3 f4
0-1
Solution: 1 ... Qb1+ 2 Kf2 (2 Qd1/c1 Qxd1/c1+ 3 Kf2 e1=Q#) Qf1+! 3 Bxf1 exf1=Q#.